My Review of Dexter's 3x07: "Easy As Pie"

Written by Lauren Gussis
Directed by Steve Shill

Dexter: “I want you to know that you were right about my brother. But there’s something else, I killed him.”
Camilla: “It’s good you did.”

He dices, he slices but the drawn out agony of a family friend was the first time Dexter got a comprehension of the term ‘mercy’. Not that any of the people who’ve had the misfortune of being on Dexter’s hit list are deserving candidates for leniency anyway.

Last week there was the implication that Camilla’s quest for a key lime was a hint that she wanted Dexter to bump her off. This week she actually asked him to do the deed and he balked. Thank God. I think I would’ve been shocked if Dexter was all too ready to dispatch of Camilla. Reservation does have its advantages.

Especially when Camilla is someone that Dexter identified as a friend and also as a woman who knew a lot about his family history. Having lost my own mother nearly a year ago to the disease that is cancer, this was the kind of episode that actually made me uncomfortable and I’m pretty good with blood and guts. What Camilla was going through not so much.

About a couple of months before my mother’s death, I was doing an Access Course where in Philosophy, I wrote an essay for euthanasia. I’m not even going to relate it to my own situation but the idea of someone, especially a loved suffering so agonisingly for months as they slowly decayed is every bit as horrible as losing them.

Deb herself raised the point that if she were in Camilla’s position, she’d want Dexter to finish her off than let her go on suffering. Camilla herself more than discussed the fact that she wanted to die at this point due the terrible news of the tumour slowing down.

So how would Dexter kill her? For him, in the kindest way possible. After several cases of terrible key lime pies, Dexter finally found one that he must’ve known would sate Camilla’s taste buds. Of course he also added something else into the mix that would send Camilla on her way.

Episodes like this do raise the debate of euthanasia and like I’ve said, I am for it but it’s determining the cases in question. Everyone has a right to live but no-one should suffer unnecessarily either. It’s easy to understand Camilla’s perspective – she wasn’t getting better and having your life prolonged so you can suffer has a certain cruelty to it as well.

Dexter’s feelings of guilty as he actually carried out Camilla’s request though only further served to explain that he isn’t quite the monster he thinks he is. It’s always good when Dexter does show human emotions such as guilt. If he had done what Miguel had asked of him in this episode, he’d certainly be carrying around a lot more as well.

There are a lot of things I would do for my friends and family but kill for them isn’t one of them. Miguel’s unashamed hatred for Ellen had him ask Dexter to bump the lawyer off. Dexter showed reservation, researched Ellen and then came to the logical conclusion that such an act would be a bad idea. It was too bad that Miguel didn’t exactly share Dexter’s opinion at first.

Instead he virtually blew a gasket and Dexter hastily left his house with Rita and the kids. That’s the other thing, Dexter – friends do fight but they also make up. Dexter making up with Miguel should be good, even asking the hot headed ADA to be his best man should be good but it’s not. Miguel’s dangerous and this episode proved it.

Entrusting such a dark secret like the one Dexter has with someone like Miguel is like waiting for a bomb to go off and it will. Miguel did seem genuinely affronted when Dexter refused to kill Ellen. It even made me wonder if Miguel was going to kill Ellen himself.

However some people can deal with dark secrets. Camilla knew all about Brian Moser/Rudy and his connection to Dexter and took it to her deathbed. Dexter even told her that he killed his brother and she didn’t judge him. It was more than implied that she was aware of Dexter’s vigilante killings as well.

As for Ellen, well apart from the fact that I like Anne Ramsay, there is a part of me that can see why Miguel’s so hateful of her. Though him and his fucked up brothers are hardly saints, Ellen has proved to be the cause of a lot of scum bags getting off when they should be being bars or on the electric chair.

That being said, even though she was pretty hostile to Dexter, Ellen did not deserve death. Dexter even found plenty of cases where she actually did good and maybe it was Maria’s influence but Ellen did end up helping Miguel by getting her client – murderer Albert Chung arrested. Even Miguel had to admit that Ellen did the right thing there.

When Dexter wasn’t dealing with the issue of killing innocent people, Deb was doing everything in her power to uncover more about the Skinner. Put Deb in a stressful situation or have the life of a potential love interest threatened and she’ll work even harder to crack a case.

She made some excellent progress by realising that the Skinner was someone who used the guise of trimming trees to get close to his victims. Seven episodes in, it’s great that something was being forwarded with this particular plot but even though I actually do like Anton, it wasn’t very smart of Deb to compromise her case just to protect him. I’m only saying.

In lighter plots, Rita acted both as a sounding board for Silvia when she wasn’t pressuring Dexter for a number of people that he was going to invite to the wedding. I’m guessing we will have to wait for the finale before we get to see this wedding, right?

Also in “Easy As Pie”

In terms of pies, I’ve never had a key lime one. Recently I’ve been more of a strawberry cheesecake sort of guy.

Rita: “Nightmare?”
Dexter: “Not sure. Ever have one of those dreams where you’re exposed?”
Rita: “All the time. I show up at school bottomless.”
Dexter: “Body parts out in the open. Exactly.”

Dexter was looking for Harry in his dream, only to find Miguel. That’s taking male bonding somewhere else.

Dexter: “Isn’t this a little bit -”
Camilla: “- Morbid? Death will be mercy. No more pain, no more chemo, just peace. And the best part is, I get to see Gene.”

Masuka: “So, what, you and the ADA are pals now?”
Dexter: “Yeah, we are.”
Masuka: “Kiss ass.”
Dexter (to himself): “Another crack like that and you’re off the list.”

Deb was incredibly touched by the old photographs of Harry that Camilla gave to Dexter in a shoebox.

Mrs Owens (to Deb): You lead that animal here. Right here to my only baby and now he’s gone. Wendell is gone because of you. He’s gone.”

Camilla: “You’re not Catholic.”
Dexter: “I’m definitely not Catholic but I do live by a certain code.”

I loved the exchange in the lift with Angel and Barbara discussing their horrid nicknames. Fatista and Vagianni – that definitely proves that kids are cruel.

Barbara: “I like our friendship. Are you gonna make me feel bad for that?”
Angel: “No, I like our friendship too.”

Ellen (re Albert): “It’s not my job to judge, Maria.”
Maria: “Well, you’re certainly judging Miguel.”
Ellen: “And if he ever gets arrested, I will defend him too.”

We learned in this episode that Ramon was given a retirement plan instead of jail time. I think Ellen had every right in the world to be disgusted by that.

Deb (re Camilla): “Just shoot me if I ever get like that.”
Dexter: “Really?”
Deb: “Hell, yes. I’d do the same for you. Pull the plug, put a pillow over your head, whatever. I’d never let you suffer.”
Dexter: “You wouldn’t, would you?”

Yuki: “I had a high opinion of you, Deb. Guess I was wrong.”
Deb: “I told you repeatedly to stay out of my shit and you wouldn’t.”

Yuki said that Quinn cutting corners was the cause of a cop’s death. I’m not sure if she’s telling the truth.

Ellen: “I am not good at this, letting people help me.”
Maria: “I know that about you too. Why do you think I brought scotch?”

Chronology: None has been really specified at all this season. Even Rita hasn’t really begun to show that much.

“Easy As Pie” for me is the season at it’s best. Beautifully poignant moments with Dexter and Camilla, Deb and Anton and some of the tightest writing from the staff as well. The Miguel debacle certainly isn’t going to end well.

Rating: 10 out of 10.